Cherry separator



Jan. 5, 1965 H. AsulLA ETAL CHERRY SEPARATOR Filed Dec. 19, 1962 INVENTORS HENRY AGUILAR Y SALVADOR A. MINERA B 1, mum 1.1;.

A T TORNE VS United States Patent 3,164,179 CHERRY SEPARATQR Henry Aguilar, 1500 Judah St, and Salvador A. Miners, 1309 27th Ave, both of San Francisco, (Iaiif. Filed Dec. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 245,781 4 Ciaims. (Cl. 1461) This invention relates to a device for separating double cherries, and the like.

During a cherry packing season, many of the cherries delivered to the packing plant are double cherries, in that a pair are adhered together, or joined, and cannot be pitted in that condition, although, if separated they are capable of being pitted by conventional pitters and then canned in the usual manner.

Heretofore the separation of double cherries has been manually accomplished. This procedure is not only quite costly, but is slow, since each double cherry must be separately picked up and manually supported, care being taken to avoid injury to the cherries.

One of the objects of the present invention is the provision of improved means for rapidly and mechanically separating double cherries without injury to either of the cherries.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved method of separating double cherries.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the description and in the drawings.

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a prespective view, partly in cross section, illustrating a device for separating double cherries, and which device is adapted to carry out the present method.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the essential elements in the device of FIG. 1, illustrating the manner of operation of the device.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross sectional view taken generally along line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a central stationary element of the device of FIG. 1 separate from the latter, to more clearly show its structure.

In detail, referring to FIG. 1, three wheels 1, 2 and 3 are carried on three corresponding shafts 4, the latter being equally spaced around a central vertical axis indicated at A (FIG. 1), with each shaft inclined upwardly at an angle of approximately 30 relative to horizontal and said shafts extend generally toward said axis in an upward direction, but each shaft is disposed in a vertical plane that is tangential to the outer surface of a sphere that, in turn, is concentric with said central vertical axis.

Hence the axis of each shaft is actually offset laterally to a side of said central axis.

A stationary frame member 5, above wheels 1-3, is

adapted to support stationary motors 6 that, in turn, are adapted to support and simultaneously to rotate shafts 4 in the same direction and at the same rate of speed, as

3,164,179 hatented Jan. 5, 1955 perpendicular to each other and at a right angle to the shaft supporting each plane, or at approximately 60 relative to horizontal.

Each successive wheel, in a counterclockwise direction, around axis A, generally as seen in FIGS. 1, 2, is positioned so that its generally radially downwardly facing outer peripheral surface extends transversely across and relatively close to the lateral generally upwardly facing inclined surface of the tread at the bottom of the next adjacent wheel. These treads 7 are relatively thick radially of each wheel, and the space between said outer peripheral surface and the lateral generally upwardly facing surface of each adjacent pair of wheels is less than the maximum diameter of the cherries. Also, as best seen in FIG. 1, the outer peripheral surface of each tread may'be formed with transverse, spaced ridges 8 and the width of each tread is preferably substantially greater than the maximum diameter of the largest cherries to be supported.

The plane of the upper lateral surface of each wheel is preferably approximately common to a plane in which the shaft of the [adjacent wheel is located and over which the outer peripheral surface of the tread extends.

The planes of the upper inclined surfaces of the wheels intersect substantially at axis A, hence, said surfaces coact to form a three-sided pocket (P), that preferably has a small generally three-sided opening adjacent to the point of intersection of said planes. The cherries C (FIG. 3) are adapted to be fed by any suitable means such as a chute, conveyor or vertical tube 9 tosaid pocket. Such tube, where used, would preferably be of progressively increased diameter in a downward direction so that cherries fed into the open upperlend of the tube will not bridge or become choked in said tube, and will freely fall into pocket P.

The three wheels ll-S are simultaneously rotated in the same direction (FIG. 2) by motors 6, and the direction of rotation is such that the treads move downwardly toward each other and toward the bottom of pocket P. The rate of movement of the wheels is preferably substantially the same for greatest efficiency.

A central rigid support 12 is stationarily supported 7 rial of the treads 7. i

As seen in FIG. 5, which represents a top plan view of the portion of the pyramidal member 13 that .coacts with treads 7, the three sides of said member 13 being designated 14, 15 and 16. The surface 14 follows the curvature of the outer annular periphery of wheel 1 (FIG. 4) where the tread extends downwardly and away from axis A after said tread leaves its position over the laterally and upwardly facing surface of the tread on wheel 2. The surface 15 follows the outer annular peripheral curvature of the tread on wheel 2, and the surface 16 similarly follows the curvature of the tread on wheel 3. The broken lines X in FIG. 5 show thefcurvature of the treads on wheels lit-3. Preferably each wheel is adjacent to the juncture between two of the adjae3 cent sides of the member 13. For example, the tread of wheel 1 is adjacent to the juncture between surfaces 14, 16, and the tread on wheel 2 is adjacent to the juncture between surfaces 14, 15, while the tread on wheel 3 is adjacent to the juncture between surfaces 15, in.

The surfaces of sides of each adjacent pair of walls of pocket P not only move downwardly but also move laterally generally at a right angle to each other at the lowermost end of pocket P, and outwardly relative to the pocket. Treads 7 are spaced from the surfaces M le of member 13 a distance that is preferably slightly less than the diameter of each cherry so that cherries will be causedto roll between the treads 7 and the member 13 in a direction away from axis A for ejection onto the memberlZ or off the member 13.

The material of member 13 has the same characteristics as that of treads 7, hence the cherries will not be injured by being engaged between treads 7 and member 13. The ribs or ridges 8 on the wheels 1-3 contribute to providing good frictional engagement between the treads 7 and the cherries.

In operation, upon each double cherry being deposited in pocket P, one of the pair of connected cherries will be drawn between one of the treads 7 and the surface of member 13 that is opposed thereto but upon being moved laterally outwardly of axis A between said tread and the surface opposed thereto the other cherry of the pair will be drawn against the laterally facing surface of the adjacent wheel which is moving away from the tread that is moving the first cherry of the pair, thus causing a relative movement between the cherries of the pair, and if this is not sufficient to separatethe cherries, they will be separated the moment the second cherry of the pair is drawn between the tread on the aforesaid last mentioned wheel and the surface on member i3 is adjacent thereto,

since at that point the cherries of the pair will definitely be moved relative to each other. The ends of the ribs 3 at the bottom of each pocket will materially contribute to the operation of drawing the first cherry of each pair between the treads on the wheels and member 13.

In the several forms of the invention a pocket having generally vertically disposed lateral sidewalls is provided, which pocket is open at its lower end with said walls correspondingly positioned about a vertical axis. In several for-ms passageways extend generally radiallyvfrom the lower open end of said pocket communicating with the latter for passage of cherries from the lower end of said pocket'to said passageways and said passageways have upper and lower walls of soft'sponge-like material providing a pair of spaced opposed walls for each passageway, with the said walls of each pair spaced apart a distance to yieldably engage opposite sides of each cherry between each such. pair of walls. One of the walls of each such pair is supported for movement relative to the other wall of each pair in a direction for moving the cherries between the walls through said passageways outwardly of said axis, and means is connected with said one of said walls of each pair thereof for so moving them.

The wheels 1-3 (FIGS. 2, 4) form the walls of the pocket andtheir treads form one ofthe walls of each passageway.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be understood that modifications and design changes which would appear necessary or desirable to a person skilled in the art. are within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for separating pairs of cherries that are grown together at a point on one of their sides, comprising:

(a) a pocket into which said cherries are adapted to be fed having substantially corresponding lateral sidewalls correspondingly positioned about a central verd tical axis and an open lower end through which said cherries are adapted to pass from said pocket;

([1) a member coaxial with said axis at the lower open end of said pocket and extending generally radially therefrom defining the lower walls of passageways communicating with said lower open end of said pocket, and

(0) means extending laterally from said open lower end of said pocket defining the upper Walls of said passageways whereby said upper and said lower walls define a pair of opposed walls between which cherries from the lower open end of said pocket are adapted to be moved;

(d) said pair of walls being layers of relatively soft foam-like material having the resilient characteristics of foam rubber and spaced apart a distance for yieldingly engaging the upper and lower surfaces of cherries adapted to enter said passageways from said lower open end of said pocket, and for moving said cherries generally radially outwardly of said axis and for rolling them upon movement of one wall of each pair thereof laterally relative to the other where their surfaces are in vertically opposed relation;

(e) means connected with one of the walls of each pair thereof for so moving said one of said walls laterally relative to the other; and

(3) means supporting said one of the walls of each of said pairs thereof for said movement thereof,

(g) said one of said walls of each pair thereof being the tread of a wheel movable generally radially outwardly relative to said axis upon rotation of said wheel in one direction.

2. In apparatus as defined in claim 1:

(h) the walls of said pocket including one of the lateral sides of said tread that is movable downwardly upon rotation of said wheel in said one direction.

3. Apparatus for separating pairs of cherries that are grown together at a point on one of the sides thereof comprising:

(a) a pair of wheels each having a tread of relatively soft, compressible, foam-like elastic material similar to foam rubber;

(b) means supporting said wheels in and coplanar with planes disposed substantially perpendicular to each other with the radially outer peripheral surface on the tread of one wheel relatively close to and extending transversely across the one laterally facing surface of the tread on the other wheel;

(0) a body of material having characteristics similar to the material of said treads;

(d) means for supporting said body stationary with portions of its outer surface in spaced opposed relation to the peripheral surfaces of the treads on said wheels adjacent to the point where the said tread on one wheel of said pair extends transversely across the lateral side of the tread on the other wheel of said pair;

(e) the spacing between said outer peripheral surfaces of said treads and portions of the outer surface of said body being slightly less than the diameters of the largest cherry of each connected pair;

(1) means for feeding connected cherries to the said spaces between said treads and said portions of the Hsurface on said body opposed thereto;

(g) said planes in which said wheels are positioned extending slantingly upwardly relative to horizontal with the point where the treads are close to each other and where the peripheral outer surface of one wheel extends across the lateral side of the tread on the other being adjacent to the lowermost points on said wheels, whereby one of the laterally facing ides of each wheel will face generally upwardly as well as generally laterally, and

([1) said means for feeding connected cherries to said spaces between saidtreads and said body being at said one of the laterally facing sides of said wheels; and

(1') means connected with said wheels for rotating them in the same direction for moving cherries engaging against said one of their laterally facing sides totoward said lowermost points and between the treads on said wheels and said portions of the outer surface of said body.

4. In apparatus as defined in claim 3:

(j) said portions of the outer surfaces of said body that are opposed to the outer peripheral surfaces of in cross sectional contour to the circumferential curvature of said outer peripheral surfaces.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain 1846 Australia Dec. 13, 1934 

1. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING PAIRS OF CHERRIES THAT ARE GROWN TOGETHER AT A POINT ON ONE OF THEIR SIDES, COMPRISING: (A) A POCKET INTO WHICH SAID CHERRIES ARE ADAPTED TO BE FED HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY CORRESPONDING LATERAL SIDEWALLS CORRESPONDINGLY POSITIONED ABOUT A CENTRAL VERTICAL AXIS AND AN OPEN LOWER END THROUGH WHICH SAID CHERRIES ARE ADAPTED TO PASS FROM SAID POCKET; (B) A MEMBER COAXIALY WITH THE AXIS AT THE LOWER OPEN END OF SAID POCKET AND EXTENDING GENERALLY RADIALLY THEREFROM DEFINING THE LOWER WALLS OF PASSAGEWAYS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID LOWER OPEN END OF SAID POCKET, AND (C) MEANS EXTENDING LATERALLY FROM SAID OPEN LOWER END OF SAID POCKET DEFINING THE UPPER WALL OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS WHEREBY SAID UPPER AND SAID LOWER WALLS DEFINE A PAIR OF OPPOSED WALLS BETWEEN WHICH CHERRIES FROM THE LOWER OPEN END OF SAID POCKET ARE ADAPTED TO BE MOVED; (D) SAID PAIR OF WALLS BEING LAYERS OF RELATIVELY SOFT FOAM-LIKE MATERIAL HAVING THE RESILIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF FOAM RUBBER AND SPACED APART A DISTANCE FOR YIELDINGLY ENGAGING THE UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES OF CHERRIES ADAPTED TO ENTER SAID PASSAGEWAYS FROM SAID LOWER OPEN END OF SAID POCKET, AND FOR MOVING SAID CHERRIES GENERALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID AXIS AND FOR ROLLING THEM UPON MOVEMENT OF ONE WALL OF EACH PAIR THEREOF LATERALLY RELATIVE TO THE OTHER WHERE THEIR SURFACES ARE IN VERTICALLY OPPOSED RELATION; (E) MEANS CONNECTED WITH ONE OF THE WALLS OF EACH PAIR THEREOF FOR SO MOVING SAID ONE OF SAID WALLS LATERALLY RELATIVE TO THE OTHER; AND (F) MEANS SUPPORTING SAID ONE OF THE WALLS OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS THEREOF FOR SAID MOVEMENT THEREOF, (G) SAID ONE OF SAID WALLS OF EACH PAIR THEREOF BEING THE TREAD OF A WHEEL MOVABLE GENERALLY RADIALLY OUTWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID AXIS UPON ROTATION OF SAID WHEEL IN ONE DIRECTION. 